Aftermath
by gokusgirl
Summary: IchiRuki. Sequel to Tell Her. After ‘sealing the deal’, how will Ichigo and Rukia manage having a normal relationship without killing each other? First installment in a series. IchiRuki ::REVISED CHAPTER 6/30/08, R&R!::


**Thanks to Cutecrazyice & Bio-Electric Anemone **for beta reading! This would not be possible if it wasn't for your hard work!

**Aftermath**

Written by gokusgirl

He awoke first, inhaling quickly as he tumbled out of his peaceful slumber.

He closed his eyes, as he took a deep, relaxing breath and stretched his tired limbs. He frowned, wondering why it felt like something was weighing down on him. Opening his eyes again, his stomach flipped as he gazed down at raven hairs that were splayed across his chest.

In an instant, the memory of last night flooded his mind.

Ichigo smiled, his eyes now fixed on the ceiling in Rukia's room. _We did it_, Ichigo thought to himself.

_We actually did it._

He was still in total disbelief about it – mostly because it happened so suddenly, and rather wildly. He remembered how they were screaming and yelling at each other, and then she slapped him – twice. She was hurt and angry, and even though the slaps were intended to make him feel just as bad as she felt, it gave the opposite effect. Ichigo could recall feeling the lust boil in his veins at the sensation of her inflictions and he could no longer control himself. Before he could register what he did, he was suddenly kissing Rukia hard on the mouth – pulling her down to the floor with him.

_And all the things we did last night_, Ichigo mused as he felt his cheeks grow hot with the recollection. He had done things to Rukia that he had never done with any woman. The first encounter was so wild and fanatic that Ichigo assumed he had exhausted her – but when she woke up a few minutes later, she was ready to go again. Rukia was definitely a woman of her years, seductively telling him where and how she wanted to be touched. And when he used his mouth on her, he noticed how she literally shoved his head between her legs with heated enthusiasm. He realized oral sex was so new to her, but he knew she loved it. She exploded, every time he caressed her with his talented tongue, and nearly detached his head from his neck as she clenched him hard with her strong thighs. Their third and final bout was true lovemaking. It was full of soft touches, whispers of love, handholding and sensual strokes. Ichigo simply savored her body until they both came simultaneously with their tired, sweaty bodies pressed snugly against each other.

And now as he lay there, with the memories of the previous night skirting through his brain, he felt himself harden.

Ichigo looked down at her again, leaning his head to the side so he could properly see her face. _Gosh, she's so beautiful_, Ichigo thought – then he kicked himself mentally for not noticing it until recently. He had almost given up – he had almost lost her to Renji. For some reason, he just couldn't express how he felt about her. But now, the words were no longer hard to say.

_I love Rukia_, Ichigo thought proudly as his arm unconsciously drew around her small frame, giving her small shoulders a firm squeeze.

_I love her_.

So concentrated and absorbed was he that he failed to notice as Rukia stirred, and began to move. The moment he did finally notice, Ichigo's heart leapt into his throat. He gazed at her, as she raised her head up slowly, a hand coming up to pull some of the wild strands of hair out her face. Ichigo's heart skipped a beat when their eyes locked onto each other.

Rukia froze.

Then, slowly, her brilliant blue eyes finally blinked open. Fluttered. She smiled. Ichigo relaxed with her smile, inwardly grateful she wasn't regretful of last night's transgressions.

"Oi," Ichigo muttered softly, smirking down at her.

Rukia bit her lip timidly. "Morning."

"Yeah," Ichigo spoke slowly, his hand reaching up to move more of her hair out her face, his fingers dancing along her soft cheekbone.

"It is still morning, isn't it?" Rukia asked, pulling herself up to stare at the alarm clock that sat on her dresser. Ichigo's eyes fastened on her now exposed breasts, and his jaw clenched.

"Last time I checked, yeah," he answered distractedly, his hands drawing up to palm her breasts, giving them a tender squeeze. Rukia squeaked, grabbing his hands and peeling them away. She grabbed the flat sheet that covered her hips, pulling it up and around her body as she watched him frown at her with disappointment. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Rukia told him, tucking her hair behind her ear. She stared at him for a moment, contemplating what she wanted to say next. "Ichigo…how are we going to do this?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Stretching, he let out a small yawn as he gazed her smugly. "Well…I could crash here Mondays and Tuesdays, and then you can come visit me at my house on Wednesdays and Thursdays…and it can be a free-for-all on the weekends."

He should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

"No."

"No?"

"I mean I think I want you to face that way," Rukia said, pointing to the wall. This confused Ichigo a bit – until he realized what she was talking about. "I want to take a shower."

Oh.

"You don't want me to look at you?" Ichigo laughed. His hungry eyes roamed over her as he continued to say, "With all we did last night...you've got _nothing_ to be ashamed of."

"I'll take my chances, then," Rukia replied, determinedly. Without further ado, she got out of the bed, taking the sheet with her. Ichigo yelped, grabbing the pillow as he attempted to cover himself. Rukia's cheeks blushed as she looked over at him.

"Sorry."

Ichigo watched her head for the bathroom, feeling a bit confused again at what just happened. He shrugged it off as he climbed out of her bed, following her as she opened the bathroom door. Just as Rukia turned around to close the door, a presence shifted. She jumped, when she saw Ichigo standing there, naked as the day he was born.

Trying not to look at his obviously aroused nakedness, she diverted her eyes to the far corner of the door jam. "Ichigo, where the _hell_ are you going?"

"To the bathroom, what does it look like?" Ichigo teased, his hand resting on the door jam. He watched as Rukia's eyes wandered over his chest, and he saw how her eyes widened fractionally before turning away again. "You're not getting cold on me now, are you Rukia? Not after-"

"Please, _don't_ remind me," Rukia demanded abruptly, raising her hand. "Why don't you go home and clean up?"

He frowned slightly at the remark, but quickly recovered as he countered, "Why don't I call my pimp and he can just pick me up off the corner?" Ichigo told her playfully, but Rukia could sense the insult in his voice.

"I don't mean to offend you, Ichigo," Rukia sighed. "I usually don't shower with anyone, that's all."

Oh. So that was it.

Ichigo wondered if she knew how cute she looked, all prim and shy.

It made him only want her more.

"Well, it's all the rage in Japan," he growled sexily, leaning his head down to kiss her shoulder. "What better way than to conserve water by showering with a friend?" He felt her shiver instantly, a sharp intake of air escaping her mouth.

"You see, that's why you can't come in here," Rukia said with a shaky voice. "You only want to shower with me because you want to do more than just…_shower_."

"And what's wrong with that?" Ichigo murmured, laughing softly. The laughter stopped, however, when he noticed Rukia was frowning.

"Ichigo…this is too much," Rukia told him, shaking her head.

"I thought I was gentle with you last night…I seemed to fit perfectly- "

"MY GOD – will you stop talking about sex!" Rukia yelled as she lowered her head in frustration. "I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about this, _us_, Ichigo. I'm getting overwhelmed here."

Ichigo swallowed thickly. Taking a deep breath, he lowered his hand from the door jam. "Look, I know you're feeling weird about this, Rukia. To tell you the truth...I feel a little weird about it too. But it's a good kind of weird."

"But how will we plan to do this, Ichigo?" Rukia asked him, finally gazing up at his handsome face.

"Didn't you already me ask that?" Ichigo asked her puzzlingly.

"That was different. Now I'm talking about if we should tell anyone at school," Rukia snapped.

"Hmm..." Ichigo thought carefully as his eyes floated upward. He looked back down at Rukia

He smiled, smugly.

"From what I've already heard, everyone at school thinks we're banging each other already."

"WHAT?" Rukia screeched, her eyes widening in shock.

"Don't tell me you haven't heard the rumors about us," Ichigo chided, folding his arms in front of him.

"I usually ignore them. My goodness…I don't think I could handle the stares and questions about us yet…and people already _assume_ it? I don't know how to feel about this," Rukia said, sighing. She began pinching the bridge of her nose in agitation.

"Take it from me, you feel great," Ichigo spoke slyly. Rukia eyes snapped up at him grimly.

"Stop that," she scolded quickly.

"Stop what?" he asked with a laugh.

"Stop talking like that, stop _thinking_ like that!" Rukia implored.

"But this is how I talk," Ichigo ground out lowly, his hands sliding around her waist as he pulled her to him. "Why are you bugging out?"

"I'm not _bugging_ out," Rukia yelled, pressing a hand against his chest to keep him from kissing her.

"Then why can't I talk the way I want to?" Ichigo asked.

"Because this is the day after last night, that's why," Rukia told him softly. "And I want to keep it _our_ business until I'm ready to tell it. And that's going to be pretty hard to do with you walking around acting so _damn_ happy!"

Ichigo laughed. He gave her a quick peck on her nose as he exclaimed, "I _am_ happy! Aren't _you_ happy?"

She shielded her eyes away from him for a brief moment, biting her lip as she reluctantly replied, "Yes. But I still want to keep this between us, okay?"

Ichigo paused for a moment, hearing the indecision that lingered in her tone. He scowled. Letting her go, he headed back into the bedroom without a word.

"Great, now you're mad," Rukia told him as she watched him sit down on the edge of the bed, pouting like a spoiled child. "Ichigo, I'm sorry you're mad about this...I'm just used to having my private life…well, _private_."

"Do you want to know what's got me so annoyed with you right now?" Ichigo snapped bitterly. "Why do you like to question every little detail of our relationship? You weren't private and discreet when Renji was taking you out to lunch from school, so why is it any different with me? There's nothing to analyze Rukia – there's nothing to figure out. Stop making it sound like we committed some disgusting, deviant thing _you_ regret!"

"How _dare_ you bring up Renji...a-and I am not regretful!" Rukia sputtered out defensively.

"Yes, you are!" Ichigo shouted, standing up as he searched for his pants. "You're ashamed of us, ashamed of me."

Once he spoke it, it instantly made him feel depressed. He stood there in the middle of the room, his back turned to her, suddenly feeling empty. He was grateful she didn't see the flash of anguish that tightened across his face.

Rukia was shocked with his outburst. Immediately, she rushed over to his side, reaching out to touch his arm. He flinched, but didn't shrug her away.

"Ichigo…is that what you think? That I'm ashamed of us? Of you?" Rukia asked softly. He still had his head turned away from her, not wanting to gaze into those pooling azure eyes that he loved so much. "It's not what you think, Ichigo. I've never had anyone care for me this much. _I've_ never cared this much for anyone! How you make me feel when you touch me – I can't explain it but I've never felt passion this strong for anyone. And yes, it scares me."

Silence.

"It scares me, too," Ichigo finally spoke, turning his head only slightly to see her standing beside him. "But I can't hide how I feel. I feel like I want to burst – I want to shout at the top of my lungs saying how I feel about you…because I've been feeling this way for some time now, way before we slept together. I simply can't run away from how I feel."

"I'm not asking you to run from your feelings," Rukia replied softly. "I'm just trying to take a pace at all this…can you give me that, Ichigo?"

Ichigo sighed heavily, slowly reaching his hand out to caress her cheek. Rukia clasped her fingers around his, holding on to his hand tightly.

"You sure drive a hard bargain," he mumbled, as he gave her a small smile. He gazed at her, suddenly realizing that the intimate contact of her very hand was making him extremely aroused. He narrowed his eyes at her slowly as his smile broadened, and Rukia gasped as she sensed his intentions.

She let his hand go quickly.

"Oh, no," Rukia warned him as she backed away. "None of that. At the rate we're going, we won't attend school for the rest of the year!"

"And what's so bad about that?" Ichigo replied with a laugh.

"Ichigo…" Rukia whined.

"Alright, alright…I'll go home and take a shower."

And with that, and a final sigh, Ichigo began to look for his clothes.

As Rukia walked down the hallway that led to her final class, she couldn't understand why she felt so…awkward.

She had to admit, she did feel different. It wasn't a horrible feeling – in fact, it was far from it. She felt elated but also uneasy about last night's events – a contrast, really, when you think about it. She pondered if she should experience this much euphoria sleeping with Ichigo for the first time. It didn't seem possible.

She hadn't seen him arrive at school today, since she came in after lunch. But she knew Ichigo was waiting for her in that final class, sitting in his assigned seat that was right next to hers. As Rukia sat in her previous class, she found herself distracted with her thoughts, carrying her away to those hot, intense moments that she shared with Ichigo. She began to remember in every detail how his naked body looked, how his kisses tasted and how his skin felt next to hers. Then her thoughts drifted to the more intimate details, like when he was inside her – the way his face looked in total ecstasy, and how hard and urgent his strokes were as they awakened places in her that she hadn't even known existed.

And his tongue.

God, his tongue.

That marvelous, wonderful, skillful, and very _long _tongue seemed to have a life of its own as he devoured her, giving her orgasms that made her violently explode. She felt like a kid in a candy store as she pleaded with him to do it again and again, and he feverishly obliged. Rukia was surprised that Ichigo was such a natural lover – having such natural, talent for killing hollows and fucking like a god.

_But how did he learn all that?_ Rukia's conscience whispered in her ear. She stopped walking, gripping her books tightly against herself. _Yeah…how _did_ he become so skilled?_

_Okay, so he's no virgin…but how many women has he slept with? And the same things he did to me…did he do that to them too?_

Her mind was suddenly whirling with these paranoid questions, making her body tremble with a fit of jealous rage.

"Rukia, come on or you'll be late," Orihime told her as she ran past her in the hallway. Ishida was right behind her as always, giving her a hard stare as he walked past her. "The bell is about to ring!"

Coming out of her deep thoughts, Rukia blinked and her feet began to move again, making slow, unsteady steps towards the classroom door.

Best not to think about it now.

His damn leg wouldn't stop shaking.

Never in Ichigo's life had he felt this thrilled about coming to school. Never in a million years did he think that watching the raven-haired girl walk into the classroom would make his chest tighten with so much happiness that he thought his heart was going to simply pop with joy.

He never thought he could love someone as much as he loved Rukia.

He kept his eyes on her, watching her walk in slowly, but oddly, to her desk. Ichigo swallowed hard, tearing his eyes away from her as he looked straight ahead. He remembered that she wanted to keep their recent union a secret for now, and his gawking would definitely give something away. His palms began to sweat – his other leg joined in with its twin as they nervously fretted under his desk. Rukia sat down, and he could smell her immediately – her scent was one thing that instantly made him recall all the things they did the previous night.

She smelled like lavender and jasmine. She tasted like apple candy and her skin felt like soft rose petals. Ichigo smiled slowly, recalling how she had responded to his kisses, how her body shook violently against his when he took her...how she went wild when he had used his mouth. He had never been with someone that was so _vocal_. And she was always so wet and ready…

Ichigo gave her another glance, swallowing nervously.

_Calm down, Ichigo_, he told himself. He could feel his heart thundering against his chest when she suddenly looked his direction – their gazes locking instantly with one another. Heat rose to his cheeks, and he sheepishly gave her a small grin. Rukia smiled quickly, her head whipping forward to the front of class. Normally, he would have been disappointed in her gesture. But when he saw her flushed cheeks for that mere second, he knew she was just as engrossed into him as he was into her.

_He's probably fucked a lot of girls_, Rukia fumed silently as she tapped her pencil on her desk. _Probably every girl in this class – including Orihime. _Definitely_ Orihime_. Rukia looked over at the girl in question, who was whispering to Ishida at the time. She glanced over at Rukia, giving her a bubbly smile as she continued to quietly chat with her boyfriend. Rukia narrowed her eyes. _Oh yeah, he's fucked her_.

Rukia jumped when the school bell rang, drawing her out of her obsessed thoughts. Everyone began to gather their books, heading for the door as the teacher yelled for them to finish the assignment for homework that evening. Rukia remained in her seat along with Ichigo as the others left. Rukia frowned as Ishida stared at her while he walked out; his judgmental gaze lingered a bit longer than usual.

Once the classroom had emptied, Ichigo stood, gathering his books and placing them into his tote. Throwing it over his shoulder, he turned and stood in front of his desk, staring at Rukia. She could feel his gaze on her, burning her…seeking her out. Rukia finally stood, raising her eyes up to meet his.

It felt like she was struck by lighting just staring at him.

They stood there mutely, and Rukia couldn't help but wonder why he wore such a goofy grin.

"Oi," Ichigo managed to say at last, his eyes gleaming with joy.

"Yeah," Rukia replied slowly with a smirk.

"Can I walk you home?" Ichigo asked her softly.

"Ichigo…don't you _always_ walk me home?" Rukia told him irritably.

"Oh yeah…but I just wanted to ask, you know – since you wanted to…you know," Ichigo sputtered out miserably.

"Yeah." Rukia sighed. "It's okay, you can walk me home."

Ichigo's smiled broadened, taking her books out her hand as he happily gushed, "Great!"

"You walk me home and then you go home too, alright?" Rukia added sternly and she watched how his expression dropped.

Giving a slight scowl, Ichigo could only mutter, "Great."

They ended up walking home in silence.

She couldn't imagine sex being preformed _this_ way.

Rukia let out a hoarse yell as she convulsed, her body trembling with pleasure as Ichigo pummeled her into her fourth and powerful release. Her head was whirling – she had no idea what he intended to do when he placed her into this strange position. But before she could make any objection, he entered her swiftly, making her eyes well up with tears as her body grew accustomed to his enormous size and ferocity.

Rukia was still a novice when it came down to the sex business – only familiar with the man-on-top position. Being taken like this was…was…_enthralling_. She felt like she was being ravaged. He was rough and deliciously relentless – the angle and depth was driving her wild as she began to push her behind against him feverishly.

He collapsed on her back, sweaty and exhausted as he exploded deep within her depths. Ichigo let his head rest on her back as his head stopped spinning like a to.

He suddenly realized he was drooling on her shoulder.

"I-Ichigo…" Rukia ground out from underneath him. "You're crushing me…"

"_Gah_," Ichigo rasped out, rolling over to his side as he slipped out of her. He hissed, hating to leave such a wonderful place.

He could live there forever.

As Rukia began to catch her breath, she turned her head to look at the man who was sprawled across her bed. He was on his back, his arms tucked under his head with his eyes shut. His once spiky, wild mane was now plastered to his forehead, wet from screwing the hell out of her.

She should have figured he wouldn't listen.

Yes, Rukia did tell him to go home.

Yes, Rukia did tell him to stop kissing her on her shoulders and neck.

And _yes_, Rukia did tell him to stop.

But before she knew it, they were naked again, and Ichigo was doing all those wonderful things to her traitorous, deceitful body…

...and then suddenly rolled her onto her stomach.

Placing her on her hands and knees, Ichigo entered her from behind. This position allowed him to move deeper within her, igniting a fire in her belly that screamed for more. They fucked for nearly twenty minutes in that position, until he threw her leg over his and slid into her like she was the scissors and he was the paper. Rukia climaxed a number of times, losing count long after the second one. He finished her off by rolling her back over to her stomach again, this time pumping into her hard and furiously. Rukia could feel the juices run down her thighs as he urgently pounded into her. She nearly passed out when he stopped to pull out of her only to bury his face between her thighs, lapping hungrily against her wanton opening and then he stood, headily entering her again. Rukia came with him inexplicably, both of them shouting and groaning breathlessly until the pleasure ebbed.

Now, as they lay there recovering, the paranoid thoughts crept into Rukia's brain once more.

_How did he learn to do all this?_

"Ichigo," Rukia called out to him softly, her fingers twirling a loose string on the comforter.

"I'll be ready in a few minutes," Ichigo replied, never opening his eyes.

She rolled her eyes.

"No, you fool…I want ask you a question," Rukia snapped.

"Shoot." Ichigo sighed deeply.

"How do you know how to do all this?" Rukia asked nervously. Ichigo opened one eye, turning his head towards her slowly.

"Depends on what _all this_ means," Ichigo answered in a gravelly voice.

Rukia paused for a moment, contemplating her words as she began. "All this…meaning _sex_, Ichigo."

Ichigo's eyes snapped open as he smirked. "Are you freakin' _kidding_ me?" Ichigo laughed. When Rukia didn't answer, it made him laugh harder. Rukia frowned, turning over quickly at his mockery. Ichigo scooted over, grabbing her as he turned her back over. Rukia was pinned underneath him, but she still managed to look away from his teasing gaze. "Rukia…alright, alright! I thought you were playing around."

"Why would I play about something like that?" Rukia fumed, still not looking at him.

"Gee, I don't know," Ichigo chided as he tried to kiss her, but failed when she kept turning her face away from his. "I've never had anyone ask me _that_ kind of question before. What do you want to know, Rukia…how many lovers I've had? Have I done the same things to _them_?"

"YES!" Rukia exclaimed, rolling her eyes with irritation. When she heard Ichigo chortle, she tried to knee him in his groin. Ichigo swiftly pinned her legs down, and Rukia seethed as she looked up at him angrily. For a second, she found herself in awe with those amber eyes that twinkled back at her – but his mockery quickly made her regain her livid composure. Struggling against him to no avail, she let out a small whimper of defeat.

That's when she felt the heat of his arousal awakening against her thigh.

"Keep struggling like that…it's going to get you into some _big_ trouble," Ichigo breathed, his voice thick with excitement. Heat rose to Rukia's cheeks as she heard the sound of his voice. It dripped with lust. "I've had only two lovers…and that would include _you_. And you're the only one I've ever done all these things with…including going down on you and fucking you doggy-style."

His answers made her relax, finding relief in the lewd words to a certain degree. But as she remembered the entirety of the answer, she pulled against him once more. "So who was the other girl?"

Ichigo paused, his playful expression leaving his face as he let Rukia out of his grasp. He rolled over and sat up in the bed, raising his right knee up to rest on his right hand. He stared off for a moment, taking in a deep breath as he began to mouth the person's name, but struggled to say it.

"Nako Kojima."

Sitting beside him quietly, Rukia could sense how mentioning the girl's name zapped the happiness out his voice. Biting her lip, she remained silent – suddenly realizing at that moment that she didn't want to know about the other girl. Not if it made Ichigo depressed.

"Ichigo," Rukia began softly, reaching out to touch his arm. "You don't have to—"

"I gotta piss," Ichigo spoke abruptly as he climbed out of the bed, walking swiftly to the bathroom. He usually kept the door open around Rukia now – but this time he shut the door quietly, letting her know that it wasn't a good idea to follow.

Drawing her knees up, she shivered at how Ichigo's demeanor changed at the mention of this girl's name. "Nako," Rukia whispered to herself, thinking of how Ichigo nearly choked on every syllable.

The bathroom suddenly busted open, and out emerged an even icier Ichigo. He was clearly scowling, and his relaxed glow was gone. He walked into the bedroom, bending down as he began to look for his clothes.

Rukia's heart sank into her stomach when she realized he wanted to leave. She crawled over to edge of the bed to say something – to do anything to make him stay.

"What are you doing?"

"I gotta go," Ichigo replied flatly as he pulled his boxers and pants on, not looking in her direction.

"But you just went to the bathroom," Rukia laughed slightly, trying to lighten the dark mood that now loomed over them.

"I need to go home now," Ichigo amended, still not looking her direction as he found his shirt, slipping it on quickly.

The tension steeled around Rukia's belly as she noticed him picking up the pace to get dressed, and she leapt out of the bed, rushing over to his side. Pulling on his arm, she spun him around, looking into his expressionless face.

It hurt her to see him like this.

"Ichigo…I'm sorry about bringing this all up. Just don't leave here like this."

Swallowing hard, his eyes looked away from her. "I'm cool, Rukia, really I am…I've got to get that room cleaned…and I have some school work to catch up on…I just don't feel like – I just need to be by myself for now. Okay?"

Rukia's heart pained at his words.

She shook her head numbly as he broke from her grasp, turning around to sit down on the bed as he picked up his shoes. Rukia still stood there, silently watching him as he put his shoes on. Ichigo sat up straight, sighing deeply as he smacked his hand on his knees. He stood and walked over to Rukia, only stopping a foot in front of her. He stretched his head, and tried his best to put on a smile. He stepped in closer to her, closing the gap between them as he leaned down, giving her a very chaste kiss on the lips.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Ichigo spoke against her lips, savoring the touch. Then he turned quickly to leave. He never looked back at her as he walked out, and he could hear Rukia let out a soft sob as the door shut behind him.

He forced himself not to go back.

He sat on the steps of the school, resting his elbows on his knees as he clasped a single red rose in his hands.

It was a nice day – the balmy temperature was a pleasurable change, instead of the crispy and cool days that early April usually brought.

He missed school today. He just wasn't up to going. His father caught him sneaking downstairs for a snack, and he was immediately lectured on being responsible and how this would hurt his chances being accepted into a good college. Ichigo stood there and took the scolding – he'd rather face this instead of being questioned about his past.

Namely Nako.

The mention of Nako placed a grey cloud over the blissful high he was having with Rukia. It overshadowed every emotion he felt. But he had to explain himself – he owed Rukia that in the blatant way he walked out last night.

It just annoyed Ichigo that Rukia wanted to question him about his abilities in the bedroom. He wasn't asking her how many guys she'd banged! The number of women he had been with was minimal, but he was always a natural learner. And with the aid of watching a few pornographic videos his friend Keigo lent him, he was given the edge and creativity. _The sex is good and she _still_ wants to ask questions_, Ichigo laughed to himself. _Women are never satisfied in their quest for knowledge._

Ichigo heard the school bell ring and it wasn't but a few seconds later when several students began to hastily exit the building as they made their ways home. Ichigo stood, his eyes nervously seeking out his little death-god. When the last few students walked out, Ichigo's heart sank with disappointment. He was worried that he had overlooked her among the crowd of faces, or that she saw him and made a tactful retreat instead of having a confrontation. Just as he was about to turn and dejectedly walk away, he saw her emerge from the double doors, her school books clutched tightly against her chest as she blew a strand of hair out of her face.

In that very moment, Ichigo's heart leapt with a sort of happiness he only felt when he used to see his mother. It was comforting to feel it again, especially with Rukia.

Rukia looked preoccupied with her thoughts as she walked down the steps, not even noticing Ichigo standing at the bottom as he smiled at her sheepishly. Suddenly, her eyes drifted up to his handsome face, and a look of surprise, anger, and joy washed over her features all at once. She stopped two steps from the bottom of the stairs, giving her the advantage of height for the moment. Holding her books closer to her, Rukia suddenly realized that her heart was thundering against her sternum – the sound echoed in her ears as she watched him move closer to the stairs' edge. She wanted to call out to him. She wanted to smile, laugh, and cry…to run down those steps and hold him close, take in his masculine scent, and run her fingers through his soft hair.

But her emotions were quickly swept over into her anger, making her belly burn and her throat raw as she wanted curses to spew from her lips, to throw her books against his head and kick him in the shin.

So Rukia chose to remain silent – to observe him from this distance and see where her emotions would lead her.

She should have known they wouldn't be silent for long.

She gasped, when she saw the rose in his hand. He held it out to her timidly, his head lowered as he shuffled his feet. He raised his head up slightly to gaze at her and hunched his shoulders as he guiltily muttered, "I'm sorry."

"We met while I was in Junior High," Ichigo began; his tone dead and void of emotion. They were sitting on the grass in the park near his house. They had walked silently to this location, this being one of the places they could discuss things of importance. "She had a…_reputation_, if you know what I mean. Every guy in our class wanted her, and I guess I did, too."

Rukia steadied her breathing as she felt her stomach clench with horrid disgust. She couldn't believe that Ichigo had pined for someone once…it didn't seem like something the Ichigo _she_ knew would ever do.

"At the end of my Junior High school year, Nako finally noticed me. Me! Of all the guys…she wanted me. I felt like I won the lottery. At first, to my surprise, she didn't act like she was the loose girl everyone talked about…we would talk on the phone for hours, go to the park and sit by the pond feeding the ducks…we spent a lot of time together just being you know…girlfriend and boyfriend.

"Then, two weeks before we were expected to return to school, Nako told me she was moving away. I was so sad…I had become so attached to her that I didn't know what to do with myself. So that's when she suggested that since she was moving away, it would be great if we could…do it. It would be our final pledge of love to each other…she made it sound so spiritual. I was scared – I hadn't been with anyone before and I wasn't sure I could please her…but she eased my fears and led me through it. God – I felt like such a failure! I was unsure of myself and I felt so clumsy…but she was very grateful. She told me she enjoyed herself and right then I knew – I_ knew_ I felt something for Nako. It wasn't love – I realize that now… but it was something that made my heart…ache."

Ichigo swallowed thickly, shaking his head as he furrowed his brows. "Then one day I went to visit Nako at her house. I walked in on her screwing two guys at the same time – right in the middle of her parent's living room. I was devastated. I remember puking my guts out on her front lawn, running all the way home, my vision blurred from crying and shit – I never saw or heard from her again. So…" Ichigo paused as he glanced over at Rukia's shocked gaze. "I gave up on this sort of thing…you know, falling in love, getting close to anyone…until now, of course. I kinda repressed those bad memories and went on with my life. It's just something I don't like to revisit."

"I'm sorry," Rukia choked out a soft sob as she covered her mouth. "If I knew how this girl treated you, I would have never—"

"How could you know, huh?" Ichigo interjected with a scoff. "It _is_ what it is. It was Nako's nature to be that way…like they say, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, well, _hell_…then it's a duck." He reached out, embracing Rukia tightly. "Come on, now…no need to cry for me. It was the past. But Rukia…you're my future."

Rukia gasped, looking up at Ichigo's handsome face – she was happy to see that at last, his warm smile had returned. Her heart fluttered with that warmth, and it spread all over her like a warm blanket. She hugged him back, sniffing against his shoulder as she wiped a tear away from her face. She pulled back, a hand caressing his strong jaw as she gazed up at him.

"Ichigo…I want everyone to know you're my boyfriend now," Rukia told him happily.

Ichigo's smiled widened, as he pulled her tighter against him. "You mean that, Rukia?"

"Absolutely," Rukia replied, giving him a soft, lingering kiss. "I want everyone to know about the guy I love."

"And I want everyone to know about the girl I love, too, as corny as that sounds."

Ichigo laughed, rubbing his nose against hers. "I do love you, Rukia…very much."

"I know, Ichigo," Rukia mumbled as she crawled into his lap, throwing her hands around his broad shoulders. Her body was flushed against his – heating all the wonderful spots on her body that she knew only he could awaken.

For now...this was where she belonged.

"I know."

**: The End :**


End file.
